Garment-clasp.



G. E. PRENTIGE.

GARMNT GLASP.

- APPLIOATION FILBD JUNE29,1912.

1,075,725. Patena 0@t.14,1918.

el'io'aen n. rf'n'nivrron, or New Bnrrain', conn'nerroo'r.

GAR'MEIllT-CLASP.

hetman.

specification of 'ett'rs Patent.

To' all whom, t' may concern:

Be it known tha-t T, GEORGE E. PBnNYrIoE, a citizenv of ,the UnitedStates, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGarment- Clasps of which the following is aspecification;

My inve'ntion relates to improvements in garment clasps, and the objectof my imi' provement-s is simpl-icity and economy in construction andconvenience and efiiciency in use.

In the accom-panyingdrawing: Figure 1 is a' front `elevation of myimproved clasp. Figi. 2 is a rear' eleva'tion of the same; Fig. 3 is aside elevation on an enlarged scale of the same. Fi'g. Ai is a sectionalview on the line w w of Figi 1-. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the samewith the cla-mping members released from the cl'ampi-ng position. Fg. 6is a plan View 'of the blan'k for the fixed cla'mping member. Fi'g. 7 isa similar view of the blank for the moving clamping member; Fifg; 8' isa similar view of the bla-nk for the clatnpin'g. lever. Fi'g. 9 is aplan view of the i'novi'ngclamping member complete. Fig. IO isa'secti'onal view onthe line y y 'of Fi'g'. modification of the garmentengaging members. i

My garment castoff comprises a fixed clamping member B, a movingclarnping member C7 and a clamping lever D, all made of sheet metal. Thefixed clamping member B comprises a base plate 15 which is somewhatelongated,V land has a bar 16 at the upper end suitable for receivingthe loop of a webbing E, and at the lower end is provided with means forsecuring a button F, which latter is preferably of rubber, and

intermediate the said ends there is a pair of laterally disposed ears 17provided with pivot holes 18, and tadjacent the upper end there isprovided in the center of the body portion 19 a rectangular hole ordiminutive slot 20` and the portion of the base plate 15 adjacent thesaid hole 20 is plane and suitable for a bearing surface for fingers 25and 26 on the moving clamping member C.

The button hhas a cylindrical body 21 and an enlarged base 22 and-themeans for securing the same to the base plate 15 comprses a fiange 23and a plurality of lugs 24- engaged with the said base 22 in an ordinarymanner,l

1.- Fignfl is a side elevation of a' The moving clamping member Ccomprises an elongated strip providedat the upper end with a pluralityof ingers referredto above, eomprisi'ng a middle finger .25 and a pairof lateral spring fingers 26,

and at the lower end with an eye 27 that is Pateirted tlet. Mt, 1013.Application fixed" inne 29, 191,22 eriaIO. 703,5?0;

appr'eciably larger in5 diameter than that of t the body, portion 21 ofthe button F and intermediate the said ends is provided with an inchnedbody portion 28 suitablel for bein-g operati-vel'y engaged by theclamping lever D.- w

The fi-ngers 25 ,and 26 are formed by a pair of longitudinal slits 29 inthe blank and the upper ends of the latera'l fingers formed thereby arecut away so that the lateral fingers 26 are shorter than the middlefinger 25 and, the free end 30 of the middle finger.

25 projects upwardly beyond the lateral fingers 26. The said free end 30of the middle finger 25v passes through the hole 20 in the base plate 15suitably to engage with the rear side of the upper wall 31 thereof whilethe free ends 32 of the lateral fingers 26 are engaged with the frontface of the lower wa-ll 33. The free ends 80 and 32 are preferablysuitably bent as shown to make flat- Wise engagement with the said walls31 and 33 in the manner described-,- the end 30 being in the form' of atoe making engagement with the wall 31 by its front face and the ends 32being each in the form of a shoe resting with the rear face on the wall33. The bend in the middle finger 25 is in the form of a compoun-dou-rve approximating Va pair of right angle bends whereby the portion34v that passes through the hole 20 is directed at approximately rightangles to the base plate 15 and the length of the hole 20 is appreciablygreater than the thickness of the material of the finger 25 wherebylimited longitudinal movement will' be permitted of the moving clampingmember O relatively tov the fixed clamping member B and with the toe 30retained in engagement with the wall 31. The lateral spring fingers 26tend to elevate the moving clamping member C and the toe 30 engaged withthe wall 31 serves as a pivotal connection.

The fingers 25 and 26 are ribbed as shown and the ribs may extend alongthe inclined body portion 28, particularly the middle rib 35 whichlat-ter engages with a recess 36 in the end of the clamping lever D andserves as guiding and positioning means for the moving clamping memberC, particularly in the closing or clamping movement. The said inclinedportion 28 is inclined relatively to the fingers 25 and 2G and the eye27 suitably to be operatively engaged by the clamping arm 37 of theclamping lever D. The said clamping lever D is an elongated strip havinga pair of laterally disposed trunnions 38 suitable for engaging With thepivotal holcs 18, and has a right angle bend adjacent the said trunnions38, and the clamping arm 37 referred to on one end, which is relativelyshort, and an arm 89 at the other end that serves as a locking memberfor limiting the pivotal movement lin the clamping position and theextreme tip end of which may be bent suitably to serve as a thumb piecefor convenience in operating.

As described, the moving clamping men ber C has a limited longitudinalmovement relatively to the fixed clamping member B. The moving clampingmember C is initially at the uppermost limit with the eye 27 held clearof the button F by the resiliency of the lateral spring fingers 26 andthe clamping lever'D is turned outward, and as the clamping lever isturned to the clamping position the clamping arm 87 engages With theinclined portion 28, the recess 36 being engaged With the rib 85 andserving to position the moving clamping member C laterally, asmentioned, so that the eye 27 will register With the button F, and asthe movement is continued the 'moving clamping member O is forcedbackward and by reason of the frictional engagement of the arm 37 withthe inclined portion 28 the moving A clamping member C is carried bodilyalong so that the top edge 41 of the eye 27 is brought forcibly intoabutment With the top edge 42 of the button F, and With the garmentinterposed-therebetween, and a further continuation of the clampingmovemeni' of the clamping lever erves to bend the moving clamping memberandvfaipl 'i'eciabl'y adds to the security4 of the'hol'd on-thfe gar-lgarment therebetween.

made and therefore' I donotw'ih tofbe'n in Working my invention'as mayfairly come within the 'spirit .and 'scope of the same as claimed. 'v

I claim as my invention:- i

A cast of comprising a fixed member,1 a movable member, and: a lever,the saidl lever pivotally mounted on the said fixed member, and havingone arm having sliding engagement by one end With the saidmovablemember, and means for connecting the said fixed and movablemembers permitting of a .pivotal and also a relatively longitudinalmovement and the said means comprising a fiat bearing portion on 'onemember prosaid fingers passing through the said hole and the ends of thesaid fingers engaged with the two sides of the'flsaid fiat bearingportion. p i

v GEORGE PRENTITCE. Witnesses: :'f i i SHEFFIELD H. CLRKE, RoGEREDwARDs.

vided with an elongated holeand a pluralityx of fingers on the othermember, one of the It is apparent that some specific constructionherein' discl'osed may-[b i derstood as limitingfmyself 'to form ofconstruction ,shown and described, but desire the libertyt'o make suchchanges,

